Care Team Ministry

Salem United Methodist Church has a wonderful outreach ministry that not only targets church members, but also people in the community. We call ourselves Salem Care Team Ministry.

There are people in our church and in our community who have a general need for help. They may be disabled, frail or seriously ill children and adults. Often these people who suffer from chronic disease or disability feel forgotten or abandoned. Their caregivers experience exhaustion, hopelessness and health problems related to stress.

A Care Team is formed when a person is identified as needing general help. That person is called a Care Partner. Care Teams provide a variety of services, including: companionship, meals, light housekeeping, shopping, transportation, loving kindness, spiritual support and many other services. Members of a Care Team are asked to volunteer 3 hours a month. Two hours are given to the care of the Care Partner. One hour is for a team meeting to bring everyone on the team up to date on their Care Partner. Each team has a leader, who schedules the monthly meeting. A commitment of one year is asked of team members.

Any one from Salem can serve on a team. Children are invited to serve with a parent, if they would like. Young children who are given opportunities for service with their families often continue to serve the community throughout their lives.

Salem’s Care Teams were formed under the guidance of Karen Moore who is a Chaplain with the Interfaith CareLinks ministry through CMC. This ministry is supported by a generous grant from The Duke Endowment. Salem has been blessed with a wonderful, caring family. To date we have served 15 different Care Partners. We have “trained” over 70 people to serve on Care Teams. We have 7 active teams with 42 active team members. Since 2004, 98% of our team members have served one full year of commitment. Our Care Partners and our team leaders consist of both Salem members and people in the community.

Everything about the Care Team Ministry is flexible. As a team member, you are asked to do only what you can do and only what the team agrees to do when you are trained. There are no demands made of anyone. A time frame of 2 hours per month is set up, so no one will do more than they feel they can do, become bogged down and stressed until their commitment becomes a burden. It is truly a joy to serve the Care Partners we serve.

If you are interested in becoming a Care Team member or getting more information about The Salem Care Team Ministry, please call Vickie Good at 704-483-3839 or contact her with email at edgoodsgirl@bellsouth.net